In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Jennifer Muller/The Works – exactly 50 years after the founding of the original company, 19 months after Jennifer’s passing, and after a successful debut performance celebrating Jennifer’s 80th birthday at the Joyce Theater – JMTW presents his new management and his new company. in the world.
The company has appointed new leaders within the organization. Two accomplished JMTW alumni have become co-artistic directors, ready to lead the next era of Muller’s work. Rosie Lani Fiedelman and Duane Gosa will take over as artistic directors from Jennifer Muller/The Works. Managing Director Katy Neely will assume the role of Executive Director. Longtime lighting director Jeff Croiter and Muller alumnus Pascal Rekoert have both accepted positions on the organization’s board of directors, and longtime board member Brian McIver has administration, assumed the role of president.
Each of these leaders expressed their personal and professional commitment to Jennifer Muller – her prolific, creative work and ultimate mission – to enable dance to impact the hearts and minds of countless people around the world . They are energetic and excited to take over, ready to carry on Jennifer’s legacy for future generations of dancers and audiences to experience and learn from.
In tribute to the past year of transatlantic collaboration, the bi-weekly Zoom meetings on this legacy, and the outpouring of love and support from many generations of talented Muller dancers across the world, JMTW has also created an Executive Artistic Council in as an artistic resource for new directors. Christophe Pilafian, Angéline Wolf Gloria, 1st generationJohn Brooks, Lana Carroll-Heylock, 2nd generationMaria Naidu, 3rd generationTracy Kofford, Jen Peters and Pascal Rekoert, 4th generation will compose this board and act as a sounding board for upcoming creative programming, as well as offer any guidance that may be helpful to Rosie and Duane in the years to come.
These alumni all traveled to New York for “intensive” rehearsal periods, lasting one to two weeks, to help stage segments of the company’s upcoming 50th anniversary program. Some pieces presented this year have not been performed since the late 80s or early 90s, which means dancers are returning and re-enacting pieces they haven’t touched in thirty years, sometimes with video of frustrating and poor quality reference.
To remedy this, JMTW has adopted the mantra “when in doubt, get it together!” »
During these intensives, former students from the same era often met in the studio, each teaching their old role to the new dancer taking on the role and helping each other in rediscovery of old motivations and details of movement. At one point during this year of re-emergence, JMTW had 6 alumni teaching simultaneously in the same studio, each adding their own layer, memory, experience and perception of movement into the common pot. Little by little, the pieces reappear and life breathes new life into the emblematic works of heritage.
Other pieces that society pieces together, like the beloved Speedshave been danced and are still deeply known by many generations of the company. For these pieces, as well as for the larger Muller Polarity Technique, the dancers experienced hermeneutics – learning through the many interpretations and memories of JMTW alumni, all of whom passionately champion the forms and the concepts that are still deeply ingrained in their minds and muscles. JMTW dancers no longer have the opportunity to learn directly from the source, but they now receive an influx of knowledge and joy from the many dancers who have learned from Jennifer. An incredible entrepreneurial spirit is found in those who still passionately love the work and JMTW intends to continue this concept of coming together even after appointing new Artistic Directors, because we are stronger together.
Jennifer Muller/The Works is committed to reminding her audiences of the depth of the work Muller creates – her range of movement vocabulary, her point of view, as well as some timeless pieces that haven’t seen the light of day in some time – all of this still has incredible importance for modern life. These emblematic dances should not be left in a deposit file, nor accessible only by appointment at the library. Dancing is meant to be felt, and live dancing is like nothing else. Join us in this year of resurgence, a year of celebrating our history and embracing a future with new creative perspectives, maintaining an ever-strong commitment to living Muller dance.
The company will host a 50th anniversary gala on February 11, 2025 at the Hall of Lumieres in New York and present a full 50th anniversary season at BAM Fisher, April 29 – May 4. phenomenal legacy.
Visit www.jmtw.org to find out more.
Jennifer Muller/The works, photo by Jaqlin Medlock
